Waxes are widely used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Typically, waxes are formulated in the form of creams and ointments in the form of emulsions, intended for caring for human skin and for topical application of pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical active ingredients. In agriculture, the wax emulsions are used to protect fresh produce, particularly fruit, from cracking, water loss and oxidation.
A wax is generally any of various heat sensitive substances consisting of hydrocarbons or esters of fatty acids that are insoluble in water and soluble in non-polar organic solvents.
Waxes from various sources may be used, among them beeswax and carnauba wax are the most common types in the cosmetic industry. Carnauba is a wax derived from the leaves of a plant native to northeastern Brazil, the Carnauba Palm (Copernica prunifera). The wax is secreted by the leaves, apparently in defense against the hot and dry environment of the tree native habitat. The resultant coating is removed by drying and flailing the leaves to loosen the wax, which is then refined and bleached. Carnauba wax contains mainly esters of fatty acids (80-85%), fatty alcohols (10-16%), acids (3-6%) and hydrocarbons (1-3%). Specific for carnauba wax is the content of esterified fatty diols (about 20%), hydroxylated fatty acids (about 6%) and cinnamic acid (about 10%). Cinnamic acid, an antioxidant, may be hydroxylated or methoxylated.
Carnauba wax can produce a glossy finish and as such is used in automobile waxes, shoe polishes, instrument polishes, and floor and furniture polishes, especially when mixed with beeswax. Use for paper coatings is the most common application in the United States.
Because of its hypoallergenic and emollient properties as well as its shine, carnauba wax appears as an ingredient in many cosmetics formulas, particularly to thicken lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, foundation and the like.
As a glazing agent in foods, it finds use particularly in shiny-shelled candies. It is also used in the pharmaceutical industry as a tablet coating agent.
However, it is difficult to incorporate a high percentage of waxes into emulsion compositions since waxes have a tendency to thicken the emulsions considerably. In addition, when a high percentage of wax is incorporated into an emulsion, the emulsion is very difficult to apply to the skin. Moreover, a coarse effect appears on the skin. Such an emulsion is therefore unacceptable to users.
Carnauba wax is among the hardest of natural waxes, being harder than concrete in its pure form. It is practically insoluble in water and ethyl alcohol, and soluble in ethyl acetate and in xylene only on heating. Accordingly, incorporating the carnauba wax into emulsions to enable utilizing its beneficial effects requires even more sophisticated methods and formulations.
Various kinds of wax-containing emulsions and emulsifying agents have been proposed, many targeted to specific cosmetic applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,279 discloses cosmetic composition of the oil-in-water type comprising an oily substance having no free carboxyl group including, inter alia, beeswax and carnauba wax, water, and an emulsifier composed of either a combination of a basic polypeptide and a higher fatty acid or a salt (soap) formed from these compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,965 discloses a creamy composition in the form of an oil-in-water emulsion comprising an oily phase dispersed in an aqueous phase, characterized in that it contains at least one anionic emulsifier which is liquid at room temperature, and at least 5% by weight of one or more waxes relative to the total weight of the composition, and in that the oily phase is in the form of a soft paste at room temperature. The anionic emulsifier is preferably a surfactant containing a phosphate group, such as octyldecyl phosphate. A process for preparing this composition, characterized in that at least one step of the process is carried out using a mixer-extruder and uses of the composition in cosmetics and dermatology is also disclosed.
Compact powders for use in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, or food compositions are typically anhydrous compositions which may mainly be composed of solid particles and of a fatty binder, shaped by compression. Use of derivatives of basic amino acids, including lysine, have been proposed for modifying the surface of inorganic substance present in such compositions and for increasing the dispersibility of the compositions (e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,640,943; 5,688,527; 5,688,527).
U.S. Application Publication No. 2008/0124292, published after the priority date of the present application, discloses compositions useful for coating the eyelashes that address the problem of homogenous dispersion of pigments and waxes in mascara compositions. The compositions of that application contain an aqueous phase and an emulsifying system that comprises at least one specific amino acid compound, including basic amino acids, glutamic acid, sarcosine and glycine.
Individuals typically suffer from various skin ailments that may result from environmental factors, age, wounding, and exposure to chemicals as well as from inflammatory and allergic responses of the skin.
Many attempts have been made to treat these skin conditions. A multi-billion dollar industry comprising hundreds of companies world-wide, produce and supply thousands of different types of creams, salves, balms, ointments and medicaments for healing the skin.
The following are several examples of ointments intended for treatment of the skin. U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,046 discloses a treatment method that moisturizes the skin with a cream containing specially formulated petrolatum, a siloxane solvent, and a microcrystalline wax. U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,627 discloses a skin treatment mixture, comprising a combination of natural ingredient—an extract of the Eupatorium plant, with the chemical ingredients sulfathiazole, petrolatum and zinc oxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,942 discloses a skin healing ointment comprising a base containing petrolatum, beeswax or other wax, and antibiotic ingredient. These basic ingredients can be combined with zinc oxide and an anti-itch ingredient for universal applicability to, and effective treatment of, various skin disorders.
Some of the attempts were directed to the use of stimulants or certain inhibitors. As an example, collagen stimulation was used for skin treatment (Schiltz, John, et al., J Invest Dermatol 87:663-667).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,936 related to a topical skin ointment for application onto the skin of individuals suffering from minor skin irritations such as dry chapped skin, minor cuts, scrapes, and abrasions. The topical skin ointment includes ingredients intended to reduce the discomfort associated with these types of skin irritations as well ingredients intended to promote the natural healing process including vitamins and zinc oxide.
After harvest, vegetables and fruit have a limited shelf-life before deterioration affects their palatability, nutritional value, odor, and aesthetic appearance. Many causes have been identified as attributing to deterioration, including natural enzyme activity, environmental conditions and changes, such as in temperature, moisture and air quality, and contamination by microorganism, insects and other pests. The need to transport the fresh produce from the field to customers, often over considerable distance further contributes to deterioration of the fresh produce quality.
In resemblance to the protection against environmental hazards provided by the mammalian skin, fruit and vegetables also typically comprise a protective outer layer
Traditional remedies that have been used to prolong the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables, applied to the outer layer, include chemical bleach washes, alkaline-based washes, and treatment regimes using other chemicals such as sodium ortho phenyl phenate (SOPP), imazalil, and thiabendazole (TBZ). Each of these chemicals is corrosive and may pose underlying human health hazards. Some of these remedies have been discredited as largely ineffective and unnecessarily costly and time consuming. Further, educated consumers often are knowledgeable of the adverse consequences associated with these chemicals and will decline to purchase produce treated with these chemicals.
Thus, there is an unmet need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a composition comprising essentially natural elements with high wax concentrations, combining all the features of being easily applicable to a surface, compatible with skin as well as with food products, having protective effects against various environmental hazards and efficient in the treatment of skin conditions and disorders.